Falling Star
by Yula089
Summary: Famous all around the world, Ryoma Echizen still has no girlfriend. But when he's given three weeks away from media to find that one girl in Tokyo, he takes the chance. But media isn't the only problem... Engagement maybe? SQL to Way of Life. RyoSaku
1. Chapter 1 Ever So Close

_**Falling Star**_

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****A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a long time now and I hope I didn't keep anyone waiting too long! So here is my new story (a sequel to Way of Life) Falling Star! I had a request earlier from Animeandmangaaddict that I post up an Epilogue for Way of Life, I decided it was a good idea but I didn't want to repost a finished story. So I decided that I would recall each moment after the event in Way of Life bit by bit in the chapters of this new fic, so thankyou for your idea. PLEASE REVIEW AND ENJOY!**

**Usual code:**

**Bold – English**

Normal – Japanese

_Italic – Thoughts _**

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**_**Chapter 1 – Ever so close**_

On an early morning in the fresh spring breeze with flowers blooming in every dark corner and bringing light to a misery of the passing winter, a brunette stood at the window of her bedroom, her eyes wondering around at the new season, but no flowers bloomed in her heart, the winter still settled inside her like a giant rock at the bottom of a pond.

The events two years ago during winter had triggered her emotions and still hurt whenever her mind zipped back upon those moments, and thanks to that, she had been living alone for a whole year due to the loss of her grandmother during that very season.

She was now in college, and staying in dormitories with one or two roommates wasn't as lonely anymore, but when you had to stay with two agonizing girls that were screaming fan girls and bugged you all the time when they were in such a bad mood or when she was in their way, it was much worse than lonely.

She did okay in college nowadays, simply because she had to live with it, and friends? The tennis starters of Seigaku? They had graduated long before and were still in Tokyo, but right now, she was in Kyoto, to fulfil the wish of her grandmother that she went to this college. There was no way she could contact her best friend when she had already moved to Canada and was so busy with school work and learning a new language.

And what about the arrogant boy she had falling in love with? Where'd he go? After her grandmother had passed away, she lived with his family for a long time… until the day he left for Los Angeles to compete in the upcoming US Open, he'd hurt her, he'd broken her heart in such a way that she found an excuse to move away from his family and live by herself in Kyoto, hoping never to see him again.

But that wish never came true, because after only one year of competing in the Wimbledon and US Open, he had won his title by beating the World Number One twice in a row, claiming his title in just a year roused every continent in the world like a volcano to focus all eyes on the attractive nineteen year old rising tennis star.

His style of playing was broadcast all over the world; the tickets to his matches were sold all in just a day; almost every young woman in the world had their heart stolen by the prince, everyone praised him. The media would pay its own life to just get a single glimpse of the World Tennis Champion. Every magazine, every TV ad, everything, you would see a slight mention of the tennis star, every person that walks among the streets; they would know the name of Ryoma Echizen.

But the tennis star never showed up with a girlfriend or even a girl that was close to him, anyone who mentioned this would get a cold glare and miss their chance to take a sneaky photo of him. But one thing was clear: Ryoma Echizen forever hated the media and every fan girl that grew across the world.

Sighing, Sakuno turned from the window and looked around the isolated room, her life was torture as she lived with Ryoma Echizen's BIGGEST fans now… They would always turn on the TV whenever some programme or even ad is on about him, they would squeal at his name and day dream about being together with him in the "near future". Of course, there were things they did far beyond any fan's expectations but Sakuno just couldn't describe any without turning pale.

Yes, the Ryoma Echizen she had fell in love with two years ago was now on the other side of the world, yet, she could see him everywhere she went, his features far more handsome and mature than before, his gold cat-like eyes sharper, perfect lips, nose, EVERYTHING about him was what a girl always hoped for, but she never got mesmerized by his pictures without feeling a torturing pain in her heart.

She'd kept their moments together quiet, of course, otherwise rumours would be flooding and the media will interview the first girl the tennis star had even looked twice at. More over, those fan girls will kill her and send assassins, though she doubted anyone would believe her even if she told.

Sakuno was still ever so close to the young man, no matter how much she tried to push herself away from him…

* * *

**"Ryoma! What about your schedule for today?!"** His manager yelled after him, desperately trying to keep up with the fast pace of the young man.

Ryoma didn't reply, he simply walked out the door, slamming it behind him; he went into the garden of his mansion. Placing himself in a chair by the small pond he sighed and laid his white cap over his eyes, trying to fall asleep and escape from this crazy world.

Two years now, two years, that's all it has been and this is how much he'd earned just by playing tennis at some dumb tournament for one year. His English manager, Larson (who, of course, was more than proud to be a tennis champion's manager) wouldn't leave him alone for one second, talking to him about contracts, commercials and all those crap that just didn't relate to tennis no matter how you looked at it. Ryoma had been given a holiday by his professor in Japan who had been sending him homework, which only made Larson bug him even more.

No rest, his head hurts now, didn't he come to this country for TENNIS? He didn't come here to get flogged by fans and money, he didn't come here to have an annoying life where everyone in the world wanted to pry into his personal business, he WOULDN'T have come, it wasn't worth it one bit, hurting the only girl he'd loved so he'd show his family some appreciation for once in his life.

He hated this, it was torture being so far from her, but she was so close too, sure, he's not dumb, she would've seen one or two of ads or commercials about him, she still sees him, but he can't, he hadn't seen her face in two years now and it was starting to sink in. But there was no way ANYONE was making him get a girlfriend other than her, he could fly to Japan, to Tokyo, or maybe trying calling her, NOBODY from Japan had contacted him, not even his family, except for his damn pervert of a father. But if he did travel around carelessly, the punishment would be a swarm of media and fans, the last thing he'd want.

It was lonely living a life like this; it was like being the only star in the night sky…

"Ryuzaki-san!" One of her roommates called, she poked her head around the door to find the brunette reading a book upon her bed, "Some visitor came to see you, and he's waiting in the main yard, hurry up!"

Sakuno looked up, putting her book down onto her lap, she stared at the girl in surprise, "Ah… Mikira-san… Who is it?" She asked, getting off her bed.

"How am I supposed to know? Just go already, he's getting impatient," Mikira replied.

Silently walking out the door, Sakuno hurriedly made her way down the corridor, a visitor? From Tokyo? But how would they know where she was? Curiosity grew over her and she sped up, eventually jogging down into the main yard.

The spring breeze passed by outside and Sakuno searched along the place until she saw a tuft of red. Bright red, seated right on the bench in front of a tree and away from the crowd. Her eyes widened at the sight of the boy, "K-Kintarou-san?" she stuttered.

"Don't forget about me!" A loud voice came from behind the tree, and Momoshiro jumped out, his features still the same, slightly mature, but he didn't seem to have changed much.

"Mo-Momo-senpai!"

Kintarou (who still looked the same, but had grown taller) grinned at the stunned girl, "Saku-chan! You haven't contacted us for more than a year now! I got worried about you so I asked Momo-senpai and we searched for some clues to find you!"

"And we got it right! You are in Kyoto! We're staying here for a week," Momo added triumphantly.

Sakuno finally managed to get a grip of herself, "U-Um, did you fly here?"

"Of course we did!" Kintarou replied happily.

"F-For me?"

"YUP!"

Suddenly the bell rang loudly through the halls of the college and into the yard, "I'm sorry, I have to go back to study," Sakuno said, bowing apologetically, "Where will you be staying for the week?"

"I'll come pick you up after your study time is finished and the three of us can go discuss all this at dinner!" Kintarou replied happily, "See you then!" And without another word, he rushed out of the gate with Momo following closely.

* * *

"**RYOMA!"**

"**MR. ECHIZEN!"**

"**RYOMA!"**

"**RYOMAAAAAAAA!"**

"**MR. ECHIZEN!"**

Growling in utter anger, Ryoma slammed his bedroom door, getting away into the garden for a few hours only made the whole day worse, it was no good, the only time he can have some peace and quiet was to sleep. If only he could sleep and never wake up ever again.

He slumped down onto his giant bed, if he lived like this for the rest of his life, without seeing Sakuno and explaining everything to her, then he'd probably throw himself to suicide one day, maybe now? No… it's too late… he should've done that in the garden.

But something hit him after a long silence, that's it, a vacation in Tokyo for a month, that'll give him enough time to find Sakuno, he needed to see her face and hear her voice to get a hold of himself. He'll convince Larson, now, and if he refuses, he'll go anyway.

"**NO" **Larson replied loud and clear after the tennis star told him of his self-planned vacation.

"**I need one, that's why I haven't been doing my duties lately,"** Ryoma replied.

"**You can't leave to some vacation TOMORROW, Ryoma, you have contracts to sign, you have meetings, you have commercials, and you have SO MANY THINGS TO COMPLETE! You can't leave now!"**

"**Fine, if you let me have a one month vacation and leave me be, then I'll come back after and get every bit of it done," **Ryoma insisted, getting annoyed himself, patience was never on his side.

Larson sighed, he rubbed his forehead and thought for a long minute, more like an hour for Ryoma, finally he replied, **"You know what the public is starting to think of you because you don't have a girlfriend".**

Ryoma rolled his eyes, great, the gay part, but he didn't reply, just giving the man a meaningful glare.

Larson continued, **"I'll let you have three weeks vacation, and make sure the media doesn't find out, I'll even cover your work for you as much as I can, as long as you come back with a girlfriend by the end of three weeks, then you're cleared of all that work".**

Of course that sounded like rubbish, such an unfair deal, but three weeks… three weeks away from the media to have some quiet time with Sakuno was all he needed, to go back to Tokyo and remember old times, yes, he'd do it. All he had to do was to explain his feelings to Sakuno, nothing was going to stand in the way this time, nothing, because he was ready.

"**Better keep your promise, I'll set out next week". **

"Oi! Kin-chan! That was lucky we find Saku-chan right? It was THE jackpot!" Momo said, laughing, but he stopped when he noticed the boy was quiet, he looked beside him and down at Kintarou, only to see him holding a ring in his hand, a ring with a small glistening diamond upon it, reflecting in the afternoon sun.

"Ne, Momo-senpai, what did it take you to ask Ann-san to be your fiancée?" Kintarou asked, not lifting his eyes from the ring.

Momo cocked an eyebrow, "I got shaken up… hey, why do you want to know?!"

Kintarou, still looking down, changed the subject "Remember what happened two years ago during winter? When Koshimae left from the airport?" he asked.

Momo sighed, "Of course, Saku-chan ran away crying, I don't know what he did to her, but I know she's wounded for life… poor girl".

Finally lifting his head, Kintarou lifted the beautiful ring to the reflection of the sun and watched the diamond glisten while the sun shone through the circle, he stared at it, "I wonder if I can heal that wound for her…"

_Like a star in the night sky…_

_Seen by millions yet, touched by none…_

_You're so close in my eyes… _

_Full of wonders in my life…_

_And when that star falls… _

_I want to be the first to catch it…_

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**Thankyou for reading! That is all so far and I hope you enjoyed it, though it wasn't really a complete summary of what happened in Way of Life, bit by bit of it will be revealed soon, so stay tuned! And please review; I would like to know your thoughts! Thanks again, and see you next chapter!**

**Yula089**


	2. Chapter 2 Always Waiting

_**Falling Star**_

**A/N: Ohayo Minna-san! I actually finished this chapter on Monday but I decided to post it today, even though you might be busy, please leave a quick review! Because I really hope all my loyal readers out there would review, I would like to know those who have been reading my stories but haven't reviewed. It would be nice to acknowledge everyone :D Because I wouldn't have gotten this far without all this encouragement!**

**NOTICE:**** If you have time, please post in a reply for the Poll at the end of the story, it is a simple choice of yes or no because I am really curious about everyone's interests, so please review my story and write in a quick response to the poll!**

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_Chapter 2 – Always Waiting_**

"Ryuzaki-san!" Mikira called from the end of the corridor as she and her twin sister ran up to their roommate.

Sakuno turned in surprise to the two girls, they never really called her or even walked to class with her, so what was this? "Konnichiwa Mikira-san, Shiroki-san," she greeted politely.

"Ne, ne! Who was that redhead with the tall one? Who were they?"

Oh, so that's what they wanted to ask… well Sakuno wasn't really that surprised, those girls always loved gossip, but she only replied to their disappointment, "They were my friends from Tokyo, they came to visit and see how I was doing with my education".

"Hey come on!" Shiroki cried, "One of them is your boyfriend right?! I just know it! Since you never get interested about Ryoma-sama".

Sakuno suddenly fell silent and the twins felt a slight guilt as a strange expression crossed the brunette's face, stopping in her tracks, Sakuno bowed apologetically to the two, "I-I'm sorry, I forgot something in my room, please go ahead without me".

And before the two could say a thing, she had dashed off, her single long braid swinging around her petite figure as she fled.

"What happened?" Mikira asked, frowning, "Every time we talk about Ryoma-sama in her face, she runs off like she's had some kind of affair with him".

"We'll get it out of her soon, whether she likes it or not".

* * *

**"Excuse me, what would you like for dinner, sir?"** The waitress asked as she peered down at a bunch of messy dark green hair.

Ryoma turned his face away from the woman, if this person found out that the world tennis star was actually travelling on _this _very plane, everyone will soon be swarming him, even at the airport of Tokyo, and that would ruin his whole "holiday".

**"Anything is fine,"** he muttered, good thing he got into first class of the plane, otherwise he'd have to sit next to another passenger and that wouldn't be pretty.

The waitress, feeling rather curious about the face of the young man, silently laid a random plate of dinner upon the table and dared herself to inspect the face of the mysterious person. _Could he be… no… that's not possible, he's probably just a fan, so many of his fans dyed their hair dark green just to be like him… _

Resisting the urge to swipe around in annoyance at the waitress, Ryoma muttered darkly, **"I would like you to leave now".**

Blushing in embarrassment, the waitress apologized and quickly left. Ryoma sighed; he had to find a better way of hiding himself…

_**6am Tokyo Airport…**_

Slumping his small bag of luggage onto the floor in a corner of the airport, Ryoma rubbed his sore eyes and flipped open his mobile, immediately making a call back home, facing the wall as he waited for someone to pick up the phone.

Suddenly, an annoyed gruff came from the other end, and the familiar voice of his perverted father shouted, "WHO THE HELL IS CALLING AT THIS TIME OF DAY?! DO YOU EVER SLEEP WEIRD PERSON?!"

Ryoma rolled his eyes, "And do you ever get up?!"

There was a long pause at the other end and for a moment, it was utter silence, finally the old man burst, "RYOMA?!"

Taking the phone away from his ear, Ryoma wrapped his hand around the speaker, and finally spoke back to his loud father, "Do you mind?! I'm not in the right place for you to yell your head off so shut up!"

"That's a good way to speak to your own father after all these years of not contacting us!" Nanjirou shot back.

"Look, I didn't have time, Larson's always keeping me busy and- Argh! That's not the case old man! Just give the phone to Sakuno!" Ryoma said desperately, though he didn't want to admit the reason he hadn't contacted anyone was because he was still too depressed after hurting Sakuno so badly.

Nanjirou paused yet another time, causing complete annoyance to the teen, "What do you mean, get Sakuno? She left two years ago!"

"WHAT?!" All the prince could do now was stand in complete shock, _she left? _

"She left two weeks after you left for America, she said she's going to search for a good college, after whatever you did to upset her, we though it's best to leave her be".

"You don't even know where she went?!"

"Of course I don't. Why would I? She never wanted to tell and it's not our place to force her you brat!" Nanjirou retorted, growing annoyed, "Where are you anyway?"

But Ryoma was already picking up his things, "I'm in Tokyo, why?"

"TOKYO?! Why are you in Tokyo?! Come and visit us old ones for a change!"

"I don't have time," Ryoma replied grimly, "Just don't release this to the media or I'll make your life like hell, do you know anyone who might know where Sakuno has gone?"

"Well… That… What's his name? Momoshiro! He went to look for Sakuno with some other kid called-"

But by now, Ryoma had already began to dial Momoshiro's number, this was going to be harder than he expected…

* * *

Sakuno looked around the place, it had gotten late last night so they cancelled the dinner plan and changed it to breakfast instead, and now, the two had led her into a small café and were seated into a four seater table.

Momoshiro looked up uneasily from the menu towards the maiden sitting by herself on the other side of the table, he didn't really support what Kintarou was about to do but still… it wasn't his place to invade, who knows what happened to Ryoma?

After making an order, Sakuno stood up, "Please excuse me, I need to use the restroom," and with that, she walked off around the corner.

Momo slapped down the menu onto the table and looked at Kintarou who was still drowsy from practicing his words all night, "Are you sure this is the right time? Y-you know… You might give her unnecessary memories…"

Kintarou shook his head determinedly, "When we're in the middle of eating, I'm going to ask her!" Saying this, he pulled the ring readily from his pocket and laid it in his lap, sure, breakfast wasn't really a good place to propose to a person you've loved, but it'll have to do.

Soon, Sakuno walked back to the table and the meal was immediately served; Momo suddenly felt a deep pit of betrayal in his stomach and couldn't find himself to even pick up the spoon. _What would Ann do? _

Suddenly, to his horror, he noticed Kintarou slowly and shakily lifting the ring, and as he did so, he said to the surprised girl, "Sakuno it's-" he started, but was interrupted by the loud ring of music from Momo's mobile.

Wondering whoever it was who saved his life, Momo flipped up his phone, only to have another terror strike him, with the caller's name upon his screen, large and clear…

Kintarou, ignoring the situation for a minute, turned to peer over Momo's shoulder to see who it was, and only a single word escaped his lips as he slowly lowered the ring back on his lap in sudden shock… he remembered the strong words of that person…

"_Don't think that I gave up, she's not yours, and she's not mine, the battle isn't off, I'm still going to have her"._

"Ryoma…"

Those ruby eyes of the brunette widened for the first time in two years…

_Ever since that night…_

_Ever since the night I saw that star…_

_I've waited all this time for you to come back…_

_Even after how you've hurt me…_

_I still wanted to catch you…_

_Because it was a promise I made with my life…_

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**WOOO!! HAHA, I'm stopping it RIGHT THERE to tease you :D Now then! Please review to let me know how much you are suffering, and TO THE POLL! : **

**QUESTION: Do you play Wonderland Online?**

**CHOICES:**

**1. Yes, I do.**

**2. No, I don't.**

**3. I've heard of it/Tried to download it, but had trouble…**

**How easy was that? Haha, please tell me, pretty please! I need to know!**

**See you all next chappie!**

**Yula089**

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	3. Chapter 3 Protecting You

_**Falling Star**_

**A/N: Konnichiwa! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! A lot of things happened so I didn't have time, but anyway, here's Chapter 3! I've been trying to think up of an interesting plot or twist, still thinking so bear with me! I'll do my best for now until an inspiration pops up in my weird mind. :) Actually… I HAVE A TWIST NOW! And it's going to be in this chapter right here haha!**

**NOTICE:**** The poll results are out! I'm disappointed though… It's at the end of the chapter!**

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**_Chapter 3 – Protecting You_**

Sakuno couldn't help but look over the edge of the table just to make sure she had heard the prince's name correctly. Sure enough, the name was written clearly upon the screen.

Momo, not knowing what else to do, answered the call with great hesitation, "E-Echizen?" he asked as if he'd just gotten choked in the throat by a frying pan.

"It's me Momo-senpai, where's Sakuno?" Ryoma asked bluntly.

Momo looked over to the brunette on the other side of the table and then to the curious red head beside him, "Here…"

"Let me talk to her!"

Before Momo could even hand the phone to Sakuno and explain the situation, the girl had already shot up from her seat; she bowed quickly, "G-Gomenasai! I have to go back to the campus, my lesson is almost starting!" Without being able to stop her, Kintarou could only sit there and watch helplessly as the startled girl ran off. **(A/N: Gomenasai – I'm very sorry)**

He dropped the ring back into his pocket and sighed in defeat, staring sadly down on the table, he didn't even bother to hear the conversation between Momo and Ryoma.

"Echizen, she's… gone now," Momo said uncertainly.

Ryoma let out a growl of frustration and said, "Well? Where is she living right now?!"

"Calm down Echizen, Ryuzaki's in Kyoto, Teikoku College, she's studying there…" Momo replied.

"… Then I'll be in Kyoto in two days, any idea why her cell phone doesn't work?"

"She changed the number I believe, but where are YOU?"

"Tokyo".

"Why?"

"It's obvious, I'll contact you again when I have time or something, ja" And with that, he hung up.

"OI! ECHIZEN!" Momo roared into the empty phone but of course, no reply came and with a heavy sigh, he turned to Kintarou who seemed rather depressed, "Daijobu Kin-chan?" **(A/N: Daijobu – Are you ok?)**

Kintarou let out a weak laugh and stood up, he scratched the back of his neck, "Ne, Momo-senpai? You were against my idea towards Sakuno-chan right?" he asked uncomfortably, not daring to look him in the eye, but he continued when Momo remained silent, "I guess I was pushing it a bit… But whenever I want to do something in my life, more than half of the people are against it, this is the first time I was determined to accomplish something so much…"

"Its not wrong for you to be determined about such things," Momo said quickly.

"But I want Sakuno-chan to be happy, I wouldn't count it as accomplishment if she only accepted because she was scared to reject, I just want to see Sakuno-chan smile again…"

"If you want that, frankly, I believe you don't really have a chance…" Momo murmured.

"I know…"

* * *

Blindly running back all the way into her room inside the college, Sakuno collapsed onto her bed, puffing as she stared out the window overlooking the campus. Tears slowly blurred her eyes as she remembered the caller. _Just why did he call now of all times?_ _What did he want?_

Smoothing out her silky hair and tying it back into a braid, Sakuno rubbed her forehead, she could just forget what happened, no one needs to remind her of all this, she'd gone through enough trouble to forget what that boy did to her.

But then again… She wouldn't have been at peace and in happiness right now if it hadn't been for her friend, Yuki Hikari. She was a beautiful girl, same age, but she was the daughter of a CEO sports representative and for that she was rich and was a huge fan of Ryoma Echizen.

They'd met when Sakuno first came to this college, and in a single week, they had become the best of friends, soon, they were so close that Sakuno was able to tell her of what happened between she and Ryoma, Yuki loyally dumped her craziness for Ryoma and immediately helped her friend to cope through and forget about the young man.

But Yuki had never forgiven Ryoma for doing such a thing, however she had to transfer to a college overseas and though they'd stayed friends and kept in contact, she had warned Sakuno that she wouldn't be able to call for the next week since she had important business to take care of…

_Just one more week and I can tell Yuki-chan… _Sakuno mentally said to herself as she clutched her pillow tightly. _Because of Yuki-chan, I'm happy right now… I don't need him to take that away again… It's all thanks to Yuki Hikari…_

* * *

As Ryoma tugged the bill of his cap low upon his face while he walked out of the airport, his mobile rang. Growling at the noise, Ryoma picked it up and spoke harshly into the phone, "Who is it this time?!"

"Oi you big idiot of a son!" Nanjirou shouted back, "Get your butt over to your house now, don't think we didn't prepare for you coming back! Larson already told us the day before! We already arranged a special meeting".

Ryoma frowned, there was a slight strangeness in his voice, did Larson even tell him that the reason he was on holiday was because he was trying to get a girlfriend?! If so… his foolish father might be doing something stupid again…

"I don't have time," The prince stated flatly.

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to stay at our place? Hotels can get you into lots of trouble," Nanjirou shot back, a slight smirk in his voice.

Sighing in defeat Ryoma replied unwillingly, "Fine. I'm coming over now, don't try anything stupid".

His father laughed, "You'll thank me for this!"

Feeling rather annoyed already, Ryoma switched off his phone so no one could call up again and went over to a close by car company. As he was famous and rich, he had personally placed five cars in Tokyo and five cars in Los Angeles under surveillance for emergency uses, and it looked like he needed to get some over in Kyoto now too…

Hurriedly getting into the expensive black car, Ryoma immediately drove off towards his home in which he'd spent most of his life in. When he finally arrived upon the driveway, he looked around the surroundings as he got out of the car, nothing had changed, and everything was still the same…

"Ryoma!" His mother's voice came from the doorway, she still looked the same, her long hair kept in a neat bun, she didn't seem old at all.

Still having respect for his mother, Ryoma bowed, "Ohayo, Okaa-san," he said. **(A/N: Ohayo – Good Morning, Okaa-san – Mother)**

But before Rinko could even respond to her son, Nanjirou loudly called from inside the house, "HAIYAKU! DON'T WASTE ANYTIME!" **(A/N: Haiyaku – Hurry up)**

With irritation, Ryoma followed Rinko into the dining room and sat down at the table where four cups of tea were placed there. The house was now rather empty from the time he'd first left for America, but he'd long known that Ryoga was now in college once again and Nanako was already with her husband in an apartment not far off. Even though, it seemed that nobody had grown older, yet, so many changes had happened…

"Haha! Can't believe you still don't have a girlfriend when you're this famous in the world! You even had to come over to Tokyo to LOOK FOR a girlfriend! You sure wanna keep the Japanese bloodline!" Nanjirou cackled as he rested the cup of tea down before himself.

Rinko frowned at her husband and turned to Ryoma, "We wanted to help you find a girlfriend, and since you've come all the way to Tokyo, we assumed you still wanted to be with someone born in Japan, that's why you're here," she explained in a far more proper manner.

"I'm fine, I didn't really come looking for a random girl," Ryoma replied as he rested his chin on his palm with an utterly bored expression.

"We understand, but all you have is two weeks, and either way, we've already found you a very elegant and decent young lady," Rinko replied sipping her tea.

Suddenly, the extra cup of tea seemed to make sense to Ryoma and his eyes widened, "SHE'S HERE?!" he yelled.

"Ryoma, please don't yell," Rinko said sternly.

"He's excited!" Nanjirou cried, and turned to the staircase with a loud call, "Yuuuuuki-saaaaan! He's here!! Come down!"

Before the poor young man could run away, a young lady had already stepped into the dining room, she was truly beautiful. A maiden with long silky black hair, bright blue eyes and dressed in a simple but elegant baby blue dress that flowed like milk around her smooth legs. Any man's heart could be moved just at the sight of this young lady but Ryoma immediately looked away with utterly no interest at all, if anyone wanted to move his heart, they'd have to put the brunette with ruby red eyes in front of him, no one else.

As if not noticing the cold deathly aura from his son, Nanjirou grinned proudly at the girl and introduced her, "Hehe, your new fianceé, Yuki Hikari!"

_I would do anything to take you back…_

_I would do anything to have you by my side…_

_I know I hurt you…_

_But I hope you understand that…_

_I was only protecting you…_

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**HAHA!! ANOTHER TORTURE!! Sorry but I just love doing that! XD PLEASE REVIEW, or I may torture you badly! (Just kidding hehe) But yes, PLEASE REVIEW, I would appreciate it very much, another sincere apology to all my loyal readers out there, but it's just… SOOOO MANY ASSIGNMENTS!! **

**RANDOM POLL RESULTS: **

**Question: Do you play Wonderland Online?**

**Yes I do – 2 (YOU PEOPLE ARE AWESOME AND KNOW WHAT GAMES ARE REALLY FUN! XD, but why so little? :(**

**No I don't – 34 (YOU PEOPLE ARE MISSING OUT!! COME ON! THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME GAME in my opinion, check my profile for details!)**

**I heard of it but don't play it – 64 (OMG!! IF YOU HEARD OF IT, THEN PLAY IT!! TRUST ME, IT'S GREAT!! XD)**

**Overall… I'm so disappointed with the results! T.T Please check my profile, you have to at least try the game because it's really fun! Trust me on this! Give Wonderland Online a go! :D**

**Till next time!**

**Yula089 **

* * *

**P.S. I truly apologize for not updating, I know more than half of my readers have gotten sick of waiting so please understand I don't have all the time in the world to write fanfics as much as I love them. **


	4. Chapter 4 Betrayal

_**Falling Star**_

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'll try my best updating once a week since everything is going well, I'll do my best! So enjoy Chapter 4 of Falling Star and as usual, PLEASE REVIEW to let me know that everyone is satisfied with things so far, if not, I'll know that I need to adjust, so reviewing is probably the best way to get me updating quickly and having fresh ideas! :D DOUZO!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Betrayal**

Ryoma glared icily at Yuki Hikari, his new fiancée who had just been introduced by his stupid father a few minutes go. Sure, spending time with Sakuno had changed a whole lot, but that had lost effect right after the girl was never by his side anymore…

He'd come to Tokyo, hiding from the media to find Sakuno, but now, thanks to his idiotic manager, his parents took it as a whole lot of misunderstandings and introduced the beautiful and rich daughter of a CEO sports representative as his fiancée. Already, without even talking to her, Ryoma had targeted her as a complete nuisance to his life.

Yuki barely took notice of the death aura surrounding her fiancé and sat herself down beside him in a close distance, giving a sweet smile she said, "Konnichiwa, Ryoma-kun! I'm Yuki Hikari, an only child of my father, he's the CEO sports representative, I believe you've met him quite a few times!"

Ryoma ignored her; of course, Kiriyuu Hikari would never shut his mouth about his high position as a CEO whenever they met, how could he forget such an annoying pig? Turning to his parents, Ryoma gritted through his teeth, "I never asked for a fiancée".

Nanjirou chuckled aloud, "Now, now, you brat! A tennis star like you who doesn't even have a girlfriend will definitely raise issues, right? Yuki-san will be perfect for you! She's the daughter of a sports representative, she's rich and not to mention she's beautiful! How will the public ever disagree with someone like her?!"

"Nanjirou! How could you say something like that?!" Rinko hissed and immediately apologized to Yuki, but the blue-eyed girl didn't even seem to notice it.

Ryoma stood up, there was no way he could change his father's mind now that he's gone this far, "I'm not staying here any longer, I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow, so I need to get ready".

"Then buy another ticket for your lady won't ya? You two should stay together from now on!" Nanjirou urged.

The tennis prince glared down at his foolish father, "I'm not taking her," he replied bluntly.

"We can go to Kyoto tonight by my private plane if you wish, there's no need for a ticket," Yuki offered, that sweet smile still painted upon her cherry lips, "We can stay over at the Hikari Mansion for the night too, I'm sure the housekeeper is nearby".

Clapping, the old father cried, "What a wonderful idea! If you go with Yuki-san now, you two can get there on time!"

"I don't need to go by a private plane, it'll just attract attention," Ryoma argued, what was with this girl? She was persistent that's for sure.

"Don't worry, my secretary can cover that for you, after all, you really want to go to Kyoto for important business don't you?" Yuki asked, a strange glistening look in her amusing eyes.

Ryoma frowned deeply as Yuki wrapped her arms around his and cuddled up to him as if they were a deeply in love couple, it made him sick.

* * *

"Ryuzaki-san! Can we ask you a question?" Shiroki asked as she lay on her bed and rested the TV remote at her side. Her twin, Mikira, looked up from the study desk and put down her pen, both stared carefully at Sakuno who was cleaning through her closet, waiting for a reply.

The brunette looked up with an honest smile, "Sure, go ahead," she said.

"Are you a close person to Ryoma-sama?" Mikira asked, blunt and clear, making sure she said it slow enough so Sakuno could hear properly.

The young lady immediately shot up straight with a nervous laugh, "Ano… N-Nani?" **(A/N: Ano Excuse me or um…. Nani What?) **

"You heard us, come on, there must be something now shoot," Shiroki pushed.

"There's nothing, he's just a famous tennis star, that's all I know," Sakuno lied.

"Why deny it? We're not stupid, you went to the same school as Ryoma-sama, what happened? You two went out or something?"

"N-NO WAY!"

Mikira laughed, "No offence Ryuzaki-san, you're really stupid, it's so obvious something went on between you two and yet you deny it, your story would make you famous! AND you might be able to sell it to those gossip channels too! You're so dense for missing your chance".

"T-there really is nothing, please stop it," Sakuno said weakly.

"You know, we know a girl from your school, she said your grandma died from a car accident, it's such a pity… But then again, I guess it wouldn't matter, if your grandma saw you in this state, she might've considered suicide anyway," Shiroki said nastily and smirked at Sakuno.

Her teeth clamped down hard upon her peach coloured lips, she felt her whole body shake with desperation and anger. What the hell?! Why was this happening?! Why did EVERYONE think there was something wrong with her? She was fine! WHAT DID SHE HAVE TO DO TO MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND?!

"You have no right to talk about my grandmother in that way! There's nothing going on with Ryoma Echizen and me, I'm fine on my own so… so… STAY AWAY!" she snapped, that was it, she'd had it, people always told her, never look back on the past, it sounded so much harder than she'd ever imagined.

Bolting out of the room, Sakuno raced out of the college grounds, it was ridiculous, probably déjà vu, this was happening again… She collapsed on top of the green grass in the pool of moonlight sitting next to the river. Her breath grew heavier as she sat and stared at the flowing water longer and longer, this world, this life, it was like an endless cycle of nightmares and taunting… it was all crazy. She burst into small, short laughs as tears streamed out of her chocolate brown eyes.

This life was so menacing, she wasn't missing anything, she was FINE, and she didn't need HIM to show up again, NEVER.

"Saku-chan…?" A soft voice appeared behind her.

She turned around in surprise and found the red haired boy standing behind her looking awfully worried.

* * *

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll just go make a phone call to my father to tell him everything's fine," Yuki said happily as she led Ryoma into the lounge room of the large mansion.

Ryoma was more than pleased to have the annoying girl release his arm, he sat down upon the pure white sofa and rubbed his forehead, this was stressful, she was never going to leave him alone. Even when they were travelling on the plane, she had all the room in the world to move around, but no, she slept on his shoulder the whole way, he could've pushed her off. But everything, including his plan to Kyoto was going faster than he thought, so it was best not to spoil it.

"Jun, come with me," Yuki called to her old secretary. He was around sixty or so years old, apparently Jun had served her starting from the moment she was born, in fact, he did far more than her parents could have ever done, he knew her better than anyone.

Following his master into a study room down the hall, Jun closed the door behind him and faced Yuki who had already seated herself in the large leather armchair behind the desk. She spun the chair around so her back was facing him; the sweet aura that surrounded her had long disappeared.

"If I am not mistaken, young madam, you are not intending to make a call to your father?" Jun asked respectively.

"Of course not, I would never do something like that," Yuki replied coldly, "He would never expect a call from me anyhow".

"If you do not mind me asking, Yuki-sama," Jun said, "I believe your plan was different, why have you brought Echizen-sama to Kyoto? I believe you were trying to keep him away from coming".

A small laugh escaped her lips, "I don't have to keep him away, I'll make him meet her, and have _her _keep away from _him_".

"Wouldn't that result to hurting your friend?"

The same glint appeared in those blue eyes, "I _want _to hurt her, it's the only way to keep him all to myself".

"How will you make them meet without having Echizen-sama show his face in public?"

"I'll have an idea soon," Yuki replied calmly, swinging around in the chair to face Jun, she stood up, "But now that I've come as far as tricking his parents, I want you to keep a track on her, all I need is some time alone with him," with that, she walked out of the room and back into the lounge, where Ryoma was almost trying to fall asleep. She put on her cheery smile again and pecked him on the cheek, "Ne, ne, Ryoma-kun! Let's go for a walk, it's beautiful tonight!"

Ryoma glared at her, "Don't touch me as you like," he said icily.

Yuki giggled and pulled him up, cuddling up to him, she dragged him out the mansion, "Don't be so mean! Look! I like it better when the moon is in a crescent shape, let's walk by the river!"

* * *

"Ki-Kintarou-san!" Sakuno cried in surprise as the boy sat himself down beside her with a warm smile.

"Ne, I didn't expect Saku-chan to be sitting by the river! Why are you crying? Are you ok?" Kintarou asked.

"I-I'm fine," Sakuno replied, hurriedly rubbing hard at her eyes.

Kintarou laughed in defeat, "I was walking by to explore the surroundings of the apartment, and I saw Saku-chan sitting here. I guess none of this concerns me though".

"T-that's not it! I'm really fine!"

Kintarou smiled sweetly at Sakuno, "Ne, back in Tokyo, I always see Saku-chan with such a beautiful smile, but I never see that here, no matter what you say, it's hard to believe that you are ok…"

Kintarou waited for a reply, but it never came so he continued, "I would like to see Saku-chan's beautiful smile again, but it's ok if Saku-chan is crying too, at least I know that you're still human!"

Sakuno sweat-dropped, "H-human?"

"It's not a joke!" Kintarou said determinedly, "Saku-chan looks better with a smile… but lately you've been hiding a lot of your emotions as if to say you're fine! But you're not! Doing that just shows you're not fine! But you know, crying is ok as well, because then I know that you're still human, that you still haven't changed completely".

A tiny surge of happiness rushed through her, Sakuno wanted to say something grateful, but it was interrupted when there was a small laugh a few metres away. The two stood up and looked around the corner, it was a couple, walking by the river in their direction…

"Ne, this river might be romantic for couples I guess…" Kintarou observed as he saw a beautiful girl clinging to her boyfriend who seemed rather irritated… "Saku-chan?"

Sakuno didn't say a word, she stood in one spot, her knees shaking in the cold air, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the couple walking towards them. Soon they were close enough for her to confirm her worst nightmare AND for Kintarou to see who they really were.

"No way…" he breathed.

Yuki and Ryoma immediately stopped walking and looked just as shocked as the other two, a cold air blew past the four as everything slowly registered in their mind.

Sakuno found the courage to speak, in a rather shocked and scared voice she said, "R-Ryoma-kun? Y-Yuki-chan?"

Ryoma forcefully pulled his arm away from Yuki and gave her a horrified look, _who the hell is she? How does Sakuno know her?! _A million questions rushed through his head at this moment, including as to why Sakuno was with Kintarou, but things were just going too fast that he had no time to get over the whole situation.

All eyes fixed upon Yuki, she seemed rather surprised at first, but she soon took a deep breath and regained her composure, she gave Sakuno a cold icy glare…

"I don't know you"

_Friends are useless people…_

_They use you for their own needs and leave you when you become useless yourself…_

_I don't need people like that…_

_So don't look at me as if you still need me…_

_In the end, it's all betrayal…_

_So stay away…_

* * *

**I just love cliffies xD So please tell me what you think of this chapter! All you loyal reviewers and readers are true inspirations to me, and that's what keeps me going so please support me! ;) Is it me or was this chapter longer than I expected? o.o **

**Well, I'll try posting the next chapter next week if nothing goes wrong so thankyou for being patient! Please review!**

**Ja ne,**

**Yula**

**P.S If you hadn't read the chapter properly, you're missing the main plot! ;D That's another reason for all my beloved cliffies haha… **


	5. Chapter 5 You Don't Deserve It

_**Falling Star**_

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**A/N:**** Hello! :D Sorry! A LOT of days late of my promised schedule, I apologize! Also, I'm deciding to put up a FAQ category in order to reply some questions for my reviewers where everyone can see, so, feel free to ask! **

**FAQ**** - A few of my reviewers however, asked when the rest of the Seigaku Regulars were coming into the story, my answer? Very soon ;)**

**-oxXxoNIKKIoxXxo: So sad... I actually asked my friends if they that betrayal thing of yours. Some of them said that they believe it but not all people are like that.**

**Reply: Yes indeed! Please don't take what I said into heart, it was just what Yuki thought of the world :D**

-**SnowCharms: ! Damn ! I just hope that Ryoma will try his best to make things right...either way i'm surprised that Nanjirou and Ringo would go as far as to introduce Yuki to him when they're clear about how he feels about Sakuno...update!**

**Reply: You'll find out what Nanjirou... more like, what Rinko thought :) Just wait a little longer lol.**

**Please read and review! Enjoy!**

******OoOoOoOoOo**  


**_Chapter 5 – You Don't Deserve it_**

Yuki marched angrily into the study room of her mansion, barging through the door; she walked right up to Jun who had been asked to wait in the room, and gave him a furious look, "I TOLD YOU TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER!! I TOLD YOU TO INFORM ME IF SHE CAME ANY CLOSER!! WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME?!" She screamed in the man's face.

"Please forgive me, young madam," Jun replied respectfully, "However a call came from your father minutes ago, I apologize for not carrying out my duty immediately".

"What does that stupid father want?! Tell him not to contact me anymore if all he wants to do is criticize me! I don't wanna hear from a man who doesn't bother to show up in front of his own daughter!" Yuki spit out, slamming her palms down upon the desk. Hours ago, EVERYTHING was going just right, EVERYTHING. And now, NOTHING'S going her way at all, in fact, EVERYTHING went wrong, she even had to bring Sakuno and Kintarou back into her own mansion because of the unexpected meeting by the river.

"Please do not speak so harshly of your father, Yuki-sama," Jun said, "And if I may ask, was hurting Ryuzaki-san part of your plan? "

Collapsing into the chair, Yuki covered her face with her hands and let out a heavy sigh, "Of course not…"

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"HEH! This mansion is amazing!" Kintarou cried aloud, unable to contain his joy, he flailed his arms about in the wide space of the lounge, laughing like a little boy. But he immediately quietened down when the other two barely shared any of his joy.

He didn't blame them; it was a shock for him too… to suddenly meet Ryoma and some old friend of Sakuno's by a tiny river in the middle of the night was completely unexpected. But what was even more unexpected was the fact that Yuki had invited them into her mansion for the night…

Ryoma couldn't believe it either, this whole situation was out of his reach, so many questions were spinning around him in a dark aura: How did Sakuno know Yuki? WHY WAS KINTAROU WITH HER?!

The prince eyed the girl sitting across from him, she'd grown into a far more mature and beautiful maiden, but he could still see it, her personality, the personality that she'd covered up, the personality that he loved she didn't change at all. She seemed frightened, shaken even, if she really was a good friend of Yuki's, he guessed it would indeed hurt to hear someone close say they didn't know you…

Suddenly, Sakuno shot up, "I-I have to return to the campus…" she cried, looking like she badly wanted to leave.

"No, please stay for the night, its already very late…miss… I'm sorry, what's your name?" Yuki asked as she appeared in the lounge with Jun following behind her.

A painful sting exploded inside her, and Sakuno found that she had absolutely no energy to go anywhere, looking down at the ground she murmured, "I…I'm Sakuno…Sakuno Ryuzaki".

"I see… Ryuzaki-san, you seem to have a close relationship with my fiancé?"

Sakuno twitched as she looked at her 'friend', "F-Fiancé?" she asked in surprise.

Yuki smirked and wrapped her arms around Ryoma's, "Have you not heard? _Ryoma_ and I are engaged," she said. But immediately, Ryoma pulled away from her and gave her a cold glare, "You never received permission to call me by my name, and it was our parents who arranged this, don't get your hopes up".

Kintarou sat silently in his seat, watching the whole event unfold, he looked over at Sakuno to find her shaking badly, that's when he decided to end the conversation, "Ne, I'm tired, can we borrow a few rooms and go to sleep already?"

"Do as you like," Yuki replied flatly, disappearing down the hallway without a single word.

Kintarou pouted, it seemed like that weird girl was just acting around with Ryoma… as if she had no interest in him either way. He stood up and gave the two a happy wave, "Oyasumi!" he called and rushed down the hall to find an empty bedroom, he loved Sakuno, but the only way to make her happy was to solve everything between Ryoma… even if he had to be hurt…

**(A/N: Oyasumi - Good Night)**

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"Yuki-sama, is it okay to leave the three alone?" Jun asked as he followed his mistress into yet another study room.

Yuki walked over to the phone, signalling Jun to shut the door, she said, "Let them do as they please for now… I was surprised at first… but I figured everything out".

Raising his eyebrows Jun watched with fascination as Yuki dialled the phone with a smirk upon her face, the line connected and she spoke, "Konnichiwa, this is Yuki Hikari… yes… yes, I'm the daughter of the CEO representative…" she rolled her eyes at this, her fingers glided along the edge of the polished table and she continued, "Has it not occurred to you that the world's number one star has been… silent… for quite a while?" she asked, her lips curving into a grin.

"Of course I mean Ryoma Echizen, do you even think that he's still in Los Angeles? If you want REAL information, I'm the only one to ask, don't you want to publish the best gossip anyone in the world has ever seen?"

At the sound of those words, Jun cringed slightly, he knew what she was up to, why would she go as far as this?

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"Ryuzaki, I'll show you to a room," Ryoma offered, breaking the torturing silence between them.

"I'm fine, really, I need to go back to campus," Sakuno said stubbornly, but there was no way she was going to stay alone with this guy…

Suddenly, Ryoma reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from leaving, "Stay… please," he muttered, surprising the girl, "I came to Tokyo without the media's attention… because I wanted to find you, but Momo-senpai told me you left for Kyoto so long ago, so I came here".

He was being rather forward, she could see that, and it made her nervous with that same deep blush upon her cheeks… he wanted to see her. _"I DON'T NEED YOU HERE! I SAID GOODBYE LAST NIGHT AND THAT WAS FINAL! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN BECAUSE YOU'RE A BURDEN; I PITIED YOU FOR LOSING YOUR GRANDMA SO I DECIDED TO ACT NICE! BUT YOU'RE JUST GETTING ON MY NERVES EVERYDAY SO GET OUT OF MY LIFE! I DON'T NEED YOU! YOU AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO! IT'S ALL STUPID! I HATE YOU!!"_ She flinched, remembering those hurtful words of his that he'd left her two years ago before he departed for the US, he'd left her broken-hearted, crying miserably, she didn't need it again. Slapping his hand away from her wrist, she backed away from him, "P-Please stay away…"

Ryoma stared at Sakuno, the frightened look in her eyes obviously told him everything, it was what he said to her back then… she couldn't forget it… He wanted to explain that he only did it because he didn't want her waiting for him to come back all alone, but he found himself in complete silence, not a single word could escape his mouth…

Dropping the subject, Ryoma sighed and sat down upon the couch, looking up at the fidgeting girl he said, "At least tell me how you know Hikari-san," he said in defeat, he'd have to build back the trust slowly, but there was no way he was handing her over to Kintarou, never.

"S-She is- was my friend in the first year of college, but she moved away and I haven't seen her until now…" Sakuno explained, she still couldn't get over it… Yuki… she'd promised to get over Ryoma and yet… here she was, his FINACEÉ and she even claimed to not know Sakuno at all. It wasn't that she cared about her relationship with Ryoma, she'd gotten over him a long time ago… maybe…

He seemed to somehow understand her situation, slowly; he reached forward and gently brushed his fingers along her pink cheeks, "This was an arranged marriage… it was a misunderstanding between my parents, I'm sure you and Hikari can solve this out," he said, it WAS all he could say to encourage her. Suddenly, he noticed tears blurring those beautiful chocolate orbs…

Sakuno covered her mouth as she sniffed, stuttering weakly, "D-Don't you… D-Don't you hate me?" Feeling her weak legs give in, she collapsed onto his lap and buried her head in his shoulder, those tears, tears that she'd been locking in for two whole years… that guy came back and easily released them all, she still loved him that was for sure.

Wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, he pulled her closer, breathing in the sweet scent of her silky hair, "Never," he murmured into her ear, he wanted to tell her how he felt, so much… but this situation was good enough for him. **(A/N: Haha, Ryoma can't take too much mushiness :D)**

**OoOoOoOoOo**

A twenty-year-old young man with soft chestnut hair, those familiar smiling blue eyes, and a mischievous grin sat upon the bench in a peaceful garden of Kyoto, he held a cell phone to his ear and spoke through the line, "Hikari-san? It's been quite a while, do you need something?"

As he said those words, he took a camera out of his bag and laid it in his lap, flipping through precious photos from back when he was a Seigaku Regular in the tennis club. "Saa…. An old friend in Kyoto you say? Hm? …You want me to help you publish an article on the Internet? Oh… The morning papers? I can get that of course… sure I'll have a look".

The tensai paused for a moment as he stared at a group photo of his friends, eyeing a particular short seventh grader in a white cap, "Is that all?" he asked the person on the other line, "…I see… Well, yes, I'll call you after I've read the article, ja".

Pushing the button, he switched off the camera along with his phone…

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Ending the call, Yuki stared out the window at the dark night of the lonely garden in the mansion, watching a couple embrace tightly and stayed in each other's arms for a long while.

The reflection of her own image got in the way and she could only watch a single tear slide from her lonely eyes. She tightly clutched her mobile and laid her forehead against the cold window pane, "I'm sorry…" she cried softly as her eyes caught the reflection of a letter from her father…

**OoOoOoOoOo**

His cell phone rang again as he stood up to go home, picking it up, he spoke, "Hello, Shusuke Fuji here… ah, Kiteki-san… hm? Tomorrow's article? …Of course, please send me a copy of the main story, arigatou". **(A/N: Arigatou Thank you)**

His eyes widened considerably at the message he received, he couldn't help but read aloud the title with complete shock, **"World Tennis Star Cheats On His Fiancée..."**

"I think I'll visit Hikari-san tomorrow…"

_I can never understand people…_

_You meet the same person who hurt you…_

_And yet, you fall for him once more…_

_To be hurt again… _

_You don't deserve it…_

**OoOoOoOoOo**

**WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :O HAHAHAAHA xD What do you think? What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW! And feel free to leave a question along with it! I don't want the FAQ part to be wasted :) I tried to have lots of RyoSaku fluff in there but only ended up with one because the others were dragging the story too much xP **

**I wanted all the characters to get in place first and have some mystery before the good stuff comes! :D I'm tired now; this chapter was WAAAAY longer than I expected haha…**

**Oyasumi Minna-san!**

**Zzzzzzz, Yula**

**P.S Maybe it's my bad luck, but Fanfiction is having problems uploading documents... Note, my beautiful lines have turned into Os because they keep disappearing!! O,O**


	6. Chapter 6 Sanctuary

_**Falling Star**_

**OoOo**

**IMPORTANT A/N:** **OMG! I am so sorry for the HUGE delay! But I have a good reason! So many assignments on the holidays and I still have to cook meals for everyone, do the washing, practice my violin and draw, draw, draw. So… ENJOY Chapter 6!**

**P.S FAQ is at the end of the chapter from now on!**

**P.S.S I've rewritten Chapter 6 three times now!!**

**OoOo**

**Chapter 6 – Sanctuary**

"_Ne, what's your name?"_

_Looking up in surprise, Sakuno saw a beautiful girl with long black hair and dazzling blue eyes approach her with a kind smile, "S-Sakuno Ryuzaki desu," she replied timidly._

_The girl smiled once more, "I'm Yuki… Yuki Hikari. Let's get along from now on!" she said, shaking Sakuno's hand._

"_H-Hikari-san… Isn't that the last name of the CEO Sports representative?" _

_Yuki blinked for a minute and looking hesitant, she said, "Um… yes… he's my father…"_

"_That sounds amazing," Sakuno mumured with a sweet smile, as pure and as innocent as a little girl, "I hope I can get to know you more, Hikari-san!" _

_She was surprised for a minute, as if never expecting that kind of reaction but letting out a laugh, Yuki sat down next to her classmate and looked out the window, saying, "Ne… Sakuno-san, have you ever fallen in love?" _

_Sakuno stared at Yuki and caught a glimpse of that dreamy look in those blue eyes, for a moment, she forgot about saying anything other than, "What about Hikari-san?" _

_A tiny sad smile was pasted onto her pink lips as Yuki replied quietly, "I love him very much… but I guess you can call it unrequited…" _

"Sakuno… Sakuno," a soft voice whispered, waking her from her dream of her first encounter with Yuki.

Slowly opening her sleepy eyes, Sakuno found herself sitting upright on the sofa in the giant mansion, a grey jumper covered her for warmth and someone sat close beside her.

Sighing, Ryoma waved his hand in front of the young lady's dreary eyes to get her attention, "Sakuno!" he tried again in a louder voice.

Finally snapping out of her sleepy state, Sakuno turned to Ryoma with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks, clutching the grey jumper, she said, "Good morning Ryoma-kun… S-Sorry, I was just wandering why I was here…"

Ruffling his messy dark green hair, Ryoma smirked at her, "Stupid, we fell asleep here last night… are you using my jumper anymore?" he asked, eyeing the grey jumper he'd covered her with last night.

A thousand shades of red appeared on her face once more and Sakuno immediately shoved the jumper back into the prince's arms. "T-Thankyou…" For a moment there was silence and she could only find herself fiddling uncomfortably with her cringing skirt, but suddenly a soft sensation brushed against her ear and she felt herself quiver as Ryoma leaned closely. His lips gently touched her ear, whispering, "I'll make you mine for sure this time".

Before Sakuno even had a chance to react to such a thing, a sharp voice interrupted the two, "Ryuzaki-san, if you don't mind, I don't wish for such a _commoner_ to stay in my mansion any further, let alone another night. At least the red-haired freak had some sense to leave".

Stumbling to her feet, Sakuno timidly bowed to Yuki, "I-I'm terribly sorry, I really should head back to campus now. T-Thankyou…"

Glaring at her, Yuki followed her to the door with Ryoma silently walking behind, "I never invited you anyway, just don't show your face here again," she said icily.

"Hey you should-" but before Ryoma even had a chance to speak for Sakuno, the poor girl had long swung open the door, only to have it blocked by a figure standing in the way.

"Saa… I suppose I interrupted something?" A twenty-year-old young man with short chestnut hair murmured with a mischievous grin upon his face under those always smiling eyes.

Snapping out of shock, Sakuno cried at the adult, "Fuji-senpai?!"

The tensai continued to smile, "Long time no see, Ryuzaki-san," he greeted and turned to Ryoma, "Echizen, you actually snuck out of America without the media's attention, congratulations…" finally, he turned to Yuki who seemed rather pale, his blue eyes opened narrowly at her, his smile disappeared, "And you…"

"W-Why did you have to come of all times?!" Yuki yelled as she completely forgot about Sakuno and began to stride away down the hallway, far from Shusuke, "I never asked you to come, jerk!"

"You know each other?" Ryoma asked with raised eyebrows, seeing his stupid fiancée getting annoyed like this was rather fun and amusing to watch.

"Well, I'm a journalist from her father's sports company, of course I'd know her," Shusuke replied as he simply invited himself into the mansion.

"Well you're the most clueless journalist ever!" Yuki's voice shouted back down the hall.

"I-I better get going, I don't want to be late for my lectures. It was nice meeting you Fuji-senpai, bye Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, waving a quick goodbye, she walked down the fresh green lawn, making her way back to college. Luckily it was still quite early in the morning, she probably could've stayed a little longer but it hurt, seeing Yuki acting that way.

Unlocking the door to her room, Sakuno carefully stepped inside and took off her jumper, being extra careful not to wake the sleeping twins. But before she could get back in bed, Shiroki's voice froze her, "Where've you been?"

Taking a few steps back and trying to hide the guilt in her face, Sakuno did her best to lie, "I-I well… you see… I went for an early walk…"

Suddenly, Mikira shot up from her bed, glaring fiercely at her, "You're lying! You were with Ryoma-sama all night weren't you?!"

The young lady flinched, how did they know? More over, how did they know Ryoma was in Kyoto?

"Don't think you can hide it you slut!" Shiroki spit out rudely, throwing a pile of newspapers at the poor girl.

Quickly capturing apiece, Sakuno's eyes widened with horror at the huge headline upon the tattered paper:

**World Tennis Star Cheats on his Fiancée!!**

**Just recently, Ryoma Echizen, the all-rounder world tennis star had been engaged to famous model Yuki Hikari, the only daughter of the CEO Sports Representative, a perfect match seen by all citizens. However just last night, this tennis prince was seen holding another girl in his arms, supposedly a childhood friend named Sakuno Ryuzaki. What's going on you ask?**

**It seems Echizen has snuck out of America and is now residing in Kyoto for the time being, is it for his beloved fiancée or the suspicious young lady that spent a whole night with him? Moreover, what will his worldwide fans think of this handsome young star? The media is on the roll to investigating this case…**

"We knew there was something going on with you lately!" Mikira sneered.

"Ryoma-sama definitely would never cheat on his fiancée! You obviously forced him to do this! Who would fall for someone like YOU let alone a sports star!"

Sakuno stayed quiet, unable to move as all those criticisms were launched at her. So the reason Shusuke showed up this morning was probably to warn them about the news but no, she just had to leave on her own free will. Though the article was published to blame Ryoma, it seemed every single person was looking down on her instead. After all, if you didn't know anything but the article, who would you go for? A well educated, established and not to mention good looking superstar or a weird girl you know nothing about? Everything was out of control…

"Explain yourself!!" the twins screamed in unison.

But just as she was thinking of escaping again, the door flung open and Ryoma stood there, casually leaning against the doorway. "Excuse me, but I'd like to borrow your friend for a few days," he said with one of his infamous smirks, walking up beside Sakuno, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out the door. Leaving the two girls in utter shock, a tennis star just charged into their room and 'borrowed' Sakuno?

"R-Ryoma-kun! What are you doing here without a disguise?!" Sakuno cried in surprise as they rushed down the corridor. It was still rather early in the morning and Ryoma was being tactful, picking the empty corridors to escape in.

"Don't worry, it's not like there's any use if they find out anyway, half the world already knows where I am by now," he said, slipping on his sunglasses as they stepped out of the campus.

"Where are we going?!"

"Back to the mansion, you can't stay here with this kind of news lingering around."

Finding this entire thing happening to fast, Sakuno could only allow herself to be dragged back into the mansion where Shusuke and Yuki waited. An uneasy aura filled the room as they entered, but she could tell it was far better here than to stay at the college.

"Ahh… Kidnapping Sakuno went well," the tensai said with a grin as Ryoma collapsed onto the sofa, removing his sunglasses and shaking his messy hair.

"It's not the time to be saying that," Ryoma replied with a glare, "We have to make sure the headlines can't reach any further".

"Sorry but that's too impossible," Shusuke replied, "But since we all know who did this, she can pay the price."

"And what do you expect me to do?!" Yuki growled angrily.

"Let Ryuzaki-san stay in this place with Echizen for the time being, I'm sure I can come up with a little scheme if I go and visit Momo," Shusuke offered.

"There's no way I'm letting her stay here!"

"Do that or I'll have to inform your father…" the chestnut haired young man said in a sly voice.

A deep blush crossed Yuki's cheeks and frowning unappreciatively she turned away, "Whatever," and with that, she strode off into the study with Jun following behind.

Turning back to Sakuno, Shusuke smiled kindly at her, "It's best you stay here and not go out for a while until this topic has settled down a bit, I'm sure Echizen will take care of you."

"I can't stand that girl," Ryoma mumbled darkly.

"I understand that clearly, but knowing Hikari-san, she's probably planning something again. She obviously did this for a reason; it's best to stay on her good side for the time being. Don't worry, she's an interesting person…"

**OoOo**

"Young madam, this situation is getting out of hand!" Jun cried as he closed the door, seeing this entire thing happening, he had to talk some sense into that girl.

"Tell that to my father!!" Yuki snapped back, shoving a huge pile of papers to the floor.

"But… Fuji-san… he…"

"I can't stand that jerk! If he's here, my plans are completely ruined!" The young lady muttered, digging her nails into the chair, full of hatred. After a moment of silence, she calmed down slightly and leaned against the back of the chair, "He only recognizes me as the daughter of a CEO…" she murmured bitterly.

**OoOo**

"Kintarou! Did you read this?!" Momo yelled aloud as he shoved the newspaper in front of the depressed boy.

Letting out a groan, the red head barely lifted his eyes to read the headlines, he grimly waved Momo away, "I'm huuuuuuuuuuuuungry," he moaned.

"You've been eating four hours straight! Stop being so depress-" before he could go on, the phone interrupted him.

"Hello?" Momo called to the other line.

"_Aah… Takeshi, it's been a long time."_

"FUJI-SENPAI?!"

"_Listen, I have a favour to ask…"_

**OoOo**

A knock came from the door, turning to the noise, Sakuno answered, "C-Come in."

Stepping inside, Ryoma looked around her new quarters that Yuki had 'unwillingly' allowed her to use for a few days. "Dinner's almost ready," he said as she finished unpacking.

"Ok, thankyou very much," Sakuno said, seating herself on her new bed.

Pausing for a moment Ryoma sat down on the bed next to her and gently laid a lock of her stray hair behind her ear, "Are you feeling ok?" he asked gently, looking closely at her tomato coloured face.

She could only nod.

"What those girls said to you this morning…"

"I-I'm used to it," she said quickly, hugging her knees to her chest, she looked out the large window at the night sky twinkling with a spray of stars with a sad smile, "It's just… today's the Star Gazing Festival and… well… it's best that I didn't go…"

Looking at her for a moment, Ryoma rolled his eyes, "Che, it's just a festival where you look at stars, you see stars everyday…"

"I-It's not like that!" Sakuno retorted in a hurry to defend her festival, "I was… I was hoping everyone could come and enjoy it, even just for a night…"

Without another word, Ryoma securely wrapped his arms tightly around her waist from behind and pulled her into his lap, leaning over her shoulder, he gave her a quick gentle peck on her soft cheeks and laid his chin on her shoulder. Breathing gently onto her ear, he whispered warmly, "Then we can watch the stars here, just the two of us."

_Even though the world had turned its back on me…_

_You stayed with me…_

_In our own small sanctuary within this cruel world…_

_Let's watch the stars together…_

**OoOo**

**To be continued! No cliffies this time!**

**FAQ**

**0987654321 - Hello and thankyou for reviewing you might've misunderstood a bit but don't worry :) Tensai's not helping anyone lol. **

**Sheiryy – Welcome back! :D Glad to hear from my loyal reviewer again!**

**SnowCharms – You'll find out soon :) haha, I like confusing people! I guess I'm confusing everybody xP**

**oxXxoNIKKIoxXxo – Thankyou very much! Your reviews have kept me up :D **

**:D You must be wondering why I didn't end with cliffies like always? I wanted to give my loyal readers something to enjoy with this chapter so I hope you did! Because I was wondering as I wrote this one: Stuff cliffies for now! XD**

**Hope you enjoyed and will review to keep Ryoma and Sakuno together lol!**

**Till next chappie!**

**Yula**


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